A state legislator who was previously a Democrat has become unaffiliated because he feels he can get more done that way for his district. Representative Paul Tine of the Outer Banks says he wanted to stay within the moderate Democratic fold, but he felt the party was veering too far to the left for him. Tine also feels that as an unaffiliated legislator, he can work with the Republican majority to benefit his district. He says the Outer Banks benefited from strong legislators, including former Democratic Senator Marc Basnight:

Members of North Carolina Independents, a non-partisan association of unaffiliated voters, plan to picket in downtown Greensboro Tuesday to protest barriers to access for independent candidates and voters. UNC Greensboro professor Omar Ali is a founder of the group.

"Elections should be public affairs, but what has happened is that the political parties which are private organizations have control over the process, and create laws to make it very difficult for the outsiders, the unaffiliated voters, to get in," says Ali.